Tan Dun

August 18, 1957 -
born in Si Mao, Hunan, composed during the Contemporary period

Tan Dun (born 1957 in Si Mao, Hunan) is among the most successful and versatile Chinese-American composers to emerge since the Cultural Revolution. Trained in Beijing and the U.S., Tan has incorporated Chinese classical and folk material, contemporary European techniques, and American experimental traditions to forge a strong and distinctive style. He won a Grawemeyer award for his opera Marco Polo and an Academy Award and Grammy for his film score for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Other important works include The Last Emperor, produced by the Metropolitan Opera, the opera Peony Pavilion, and The Map, a cello concerto written for Yo-Yo Ma. ~ Stephen Eddins, Rovi

Comments

I assume the beautiful instrumental voice playing off Yo Yo Ma's cello was the traditional Chinese fiddle mentioned . This composer is fascinating, beginning with a background that plunged him into events that would destroy many people, but he came out of it stronger, pursuing his path despite opposition from a communist government that though no longer a dictatorship is very far from a democracy, and through it all fully embraces his Chinese heritage in his music.